Defense

Yeah, no, Melo’s not backing down on this criticism of his defense. After saying yesterday that it was a matter of unfamiliarity last season and a flawed perception, Melo continued his media cruising for his shoe with a conversation with Grantland. And this time, it’s all about the team. Kind of. You said you want…

The Los Angeles Times’ Mark Medina recently sat down with Lakers assistant coach Chuck Person to talk about all things Lakers. It’s an interesting interview, and I recommend reading the full piece, but one particularly interesting part of the interview came when Person was asked about how the team will play defense under new head…

Monta Ellis‘ name has popped up in trade rumors over the last few weeks, and some have been wondering if the Warriors have been shopping Ellis, who has been putting up huge numbers over the last two seasons while leading the Warriors to little success. However, in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Zach Lowe, Warriors…

When something goes right for the Miami Heat in these playoffs, something else invariably goes wrong. When Wade is on his game, James seems to be off of it. When James and Bosh are making music on the pick-and-roll together, Wade seems to be stuck dribbling into traps and firing up ill-advised jumpers. When the…

Dallas is now 1-1 in clutch situations in these Finals, but Dirk Nowitzki has an idea of how they could get a little bit better. ESPN Dallas’ Jeff Caplan has the report: “They keep sticking [LeBron James] on Jet in the fourth quarters and he’s been doing a good job,” Nowitzki said. “Jet hasn’t really…

The Miami Heat aren’t the most complete team in the championship hunt. They don’t have a reliable starting center or point guard. They don’t have a deep rotation. They don’t have a lot of guys who can create their own shots. However, the Heat do have a stingy defense, players who can make open shots,…

The Utah Jazz have had a tough road trip. They lost all five games on the trip, gave up 96 or more points in all five losses, lost to the 76ers, Wizards, and Nets, and lost to the Celtics and Lakers by a combined 53 points. The team’s record is currently 27-18, but their win…

The Orlando Magic have the best defense in the NBA. They are giving up just 97.4 points per 100 possessions so far. That shouldn’t be a surprise, they have been at or near the top of the league for years. It is why they are contenders (if the offense will help out just a little…

The Wizards are 26th in the NBA in points allowed and 23rd in defensive efficiency. In the next nine seconds, you will figure out why. We’ve known that Andray Blatche is a terrible defender for a long time now, but now there’s conclusive video proof. Blatche guesses that Rondo is going to reject a Kevin…

Rajon Rondo is playing so well — assisting on half of his team’s baskets when he is on the floor, pitching in 10.8 points per game, playing great defense — that his name is mentioned in early MVP talks. It’s far too premature to talk about that, but Rondo has been amazing at adapting to…

The Lakers are the defending champions and undefeated and on top of everyone’s power rankings two weeks into the season. Well, almost everyone’s. Come June all that and $4 will get them a latte at Pete’s. What matters is what they are building (and what the Heat are building, and the Magic, and the Celtics).…

The Houston Rockets are 0-5, which is just bizarre. They’ve fought hard against good teams and been in positions to win, only to find new and inventive ways to lose. This is a team that many consider one of the most fun teams to watch, and a legitimate playoff contender. So what in Olajuwon’s name…

There are certain players and certain teams where what happens at one end of the floor really impacts what happens at the other end. When the offense goes sideways, the defense follows suit. The Oklahoma City Thunder did that over the weekend when the Jazz blew them out. And Kevin Durant told the team reporter…

If the uber-talented 2010-11 Miami Heat want to win an NBA Championship next season, let alone break the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ record of 72 regular-season wins, it would serve them well to remember that those Bulls were nearly as dominant on defense as they were on offense. The 95-96 Bulls were certainly a historically effective…